jam is sweet dessert, which is a fruit - fruits or berries, boiled whole in sugar silt honey syrup. And although jam has been brewed for, perhaps, more than one hundred years, in connection with its preparation, no, no, and various questions arise. Here, for example - pour jam into jars hot or cold?

Indeed, in order for the jam to turn out delicious and be stored for a long time, certain rules must be observed when preparing it.

Secrets of the right jam

A well-prepared jam should have the color and flavor of fresh fruits and berries that were used in its preparation. Such jam preserves the vast majority of vitamins, including a significant part of vitamin C. Jam can be stored for a long time due to the fact that it contains a large number of sugar - usually about 50%. In such a thick saturated syrup, microorganisms that cause fermentation or mold formation cannot develop. But if you put an insufficient amount of sugar in the jam, then it can easily turn sour. The same happens if you put it in poorly washed or wet jars. Or you do not follow the storage rules - for example, the room in which the jam is stored is poorly ventilated or turns out to be damp.

Jam is made from a wide variety of fruit berries, even from vegetables or nuts. It is only necessary that all these components be approximately the same maturity and the same size. You need to collect berries or fruits for jam in dry sunny weather, avoiding overripe or spoiled fruits.

Do you pour the jam into jars hot or cold?

The answer to this question depends on the way the jam was prepared. The traditional way is to cook the jam for a long time until it thickens. Usually, the readiness of such a jam is checked by whether the drop retains its shape on the saucer. If it blurs, then the jam continues to cook for some more time. If it remains in its original form, then the jam is ready, it can be removed from the heat. Such jam is laid out in jars when cooled, and usually it does not require seaming. It is simply covered with plastic lids or covered with parchment paper and tied with twine.

If the jam is cooked in an accelerated way, the so-called "five minutes" or, if less sugar is put in the jam, for example, to reduce its calorie content, then such jam is poured only hot into pre-sterilized jars, and then rolled up metal lids. Then the jars are turned over and the jam is left to cool in this form. For better preservation of jam, jars of jam are recommended to be additionally pasteurized. In other words, such jam requires mandatory conservation. Otherwise, it will not be stored for a long time. Preservation is also required for “raw” jam, which is, in fact, fruits or berries rubbed with sugar.

Properly cooked and closed for the winter, jam can be stored at home for up to two years or even more. If the jam was cooked or poured into jars incorrectly - for example, into unsterilized, poorly washed or damp dishes, then it will definitely ferment, become moldy or sugary.

How to determine that the jam was cooked incorrectly

Here are the main signs by which you can understand that mistakes were made when cooking jam:

• the jam changed its color, became too dark, and the aroma of fruits left it - only a sweet taste remained. This is a sure sign that the jam has been overcooked;
• berries or fruits are not evenly distributed in the syrup, but float to the surface or settle to the bottom. The settled fruits indicate that you put little sugar in the syrup, and it turned out to be too liquid. If the fruits are gathering near the surface, this indicates that you have not cooked the jam. In both cases, the jam can turn sour, so you need to eat it as soon as possible. Or digest.

Apricot and raspberry, blueberry and strawberry, cherry and currant, cranberry and gooseberry, grape and blackberry - each jam is delicious in its own way. To make it perfect, you need to follow certain rules.

And also - to know a few secrets, which will be revealed in this article.

Secret 1. Careful selection of raw materials

Ideal jam can only be made from fruits (berries, fruits, vegetables, and so on) of the same degree of maturity.

For example, if you take berries of varying degrees of maturity, then while the unripe one is cooked, the overripe one will already lose its shape - it will spread into porridge. This means that the consistency will turn out to be heterogeneous and it will be far from ideal. Therefore, when choosing berries or fruits for jam, preference should be given only to fresh fruits of the same degree of maturity.

How to determine the degree of maturity?

• immature fruits are uneven in color. You can use them only for making several types of jam - from walnuts, quince, pears, gooseberries, apricots;

• mature fruits are colored evenly, more intensely and brightly than unripe ones.

• overripe fruits, regardless of whether they are berries or fruits, are characterized by loose pulp and are most often deformed. They are best used for cooking, and so on.

Size also matters: if you want to make jam with whole fruits, choose small berries and fruits. Check carefully that they are not spoiled or damaged - quality fruits are more likely to retain their shape during the cooking process.

Secret 2. Wash the fruit correctly

To make the perfect jam, the fruits must be washed properly.

If we are talking about delicate berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and so on), they must be washed very carefully so as not to damage them in the process. First, the berries are sorted out, cleared of leaves, twigs and other debris, carefully transferred to a colander. Wash under a tap with an aerator (or under a shower) for about 3-4 minutes. Leave the berries in a colander for 10-15 minutes - during this time the water will almost completely drain from them.

Fruits with a stronger skin are washed under running cold water.

Secret 3. Selection of dishes

The final result of all the work will directly depend on how correctly you choose the dishes for cooking - whether you will get the perfect jam or not.

More recently, housewives cooked jam in brass and copper basins. It was such dishes that were considered the best, but scientists have proven that this is not so. Copper is by no means an ideal material for making jam. The fact is that the composition of berries and fruits contains an acid that can dissolve copper oxides. Visually, it looks like a patina, in other words - a dark coating that appears on the surface of the pelvis. There is another reason why jam cannot be cooked in copper utensils - ascorbic acid is destroyed by copper ions. That is, jam cooked in copper utensils will be practically devoid of vitamin C.

Aluminum containers are often used, but this cannot be done categorically: under the influence of fruit acid, the oxide film on the walls of the dishes is destroyed, as a result of which aluminum molecules get into the jam.

Enamelware is ideal, you can still use stainless steel containers.

Important: for cooking jam, you can not use enameled dishes if there are chipped enamel on it.

Basin or saucepan?

The answer to this question is simple - of course the pelvis! While a pot is more convenient, especially if you're cooking on a small stovetop, the basin is much wider than a pot of the same size. Consequently, the layer of jam in it will be thinner - it will warm up and boil faster, it will be easier to mix it gently. As a result, the jam will be thicker, at the same time, the fruits will not lose their shape and will not be digested.

In addition, at the end of the cooking process, jam (especially from whole fruits) is desirable do not mix so as not to damage the berries. But what if you still need to interfere? In a saucepan, this can only be done with a spatula or spoon, carefully immersing them in a layer of fruit, and moving along the bottom. But you can also mix the jam in the basin without using a spatula: to do this, periodically shake the basin or turn and slightly shake it in different directions during cooking.

To jam not burnt, give preference to dishes with a flat thick bottom. If you cook jam in a saucepan, cook it in small portions, filling the dishes about a third - so the berries will boil evenly.

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Secret 9. Proper storage

How long you can enjoy delicious jam depends to a large extent on its proper storage.

Where to store jam?

For a long period of time, it is necessary to store jam in sterilized glass jars, of small volume (up to 2 liters), rolled up with tin lids or sealed with twist lids.

Important: When calculating the number of containers required for packaging jam, keep in mind that about 2 kg of jam will come out of 1 kg of fruit. IN liter jar fits about 1.5 kg of jam.

During the storage of jam, especially if it is stored at high temperatures or for a long period of time, sugaring may occur. So try not to keep it too long.

How long can jam be stored?

Jam with pits (cherry, peach, plum) - 1-1.5 g. The fact is that hydrocyanic acid, which is part of fruit pits, can become poisonous over a long period of storage.

All the rest of the jam, if it is properly canned and stored properly, is about 3 years. It is during this period that vitamins and nutrients will still be present in it. Further storage is also possible, but it does not make sense, since the benefits of eating such a product will be doubtful.

Storage conditions for jam

Store the jam in a dark, dry place at a temperature not exceeding +15°C.

During storage, jam may turn sour or moldy. This happens in several cases:

• it is cooked incorrectly: too much / little sugar is taken;
• there is not enough acid in the jam;
• it is digested;
• the jam is not hermetically sealed;
• the container has not been thoroughly dried.

To prevent such troubles, do not change the amount of sugar indicated in the recipe, and in jam made from fruits with insufficient acidity, just add a little citric acid. Usually 1 kg. raw materials (berries, fruits, and so on) mixed with 1 kg. sugar, put 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid. Don't overcook the jam. Follow the rules for sterilizing containers. Watch for the tightness of the corking. Each housewife has her own secrets for preparing certain dishes, and jam is no exception.

It is impossible to give all the tips in one article, so I tried to select the most valuable of them:

• Strawberry jam will without bitterness, if 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add raw peeled carrots to it (carrots must be removed from the jam before packaging).

• To jam not candied, 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking, add a little citric acid to it.

• The jam will become thicker, if thickeners are added to it at the end of cooking (pectin, quittin, gelfix, and so on) About 5 g of pectin will be enough for 1 kg of berries.

• Burnt jam can be saved: as soon as you notice caramel clots on the shoulder blade, immediately pour the jam into another container. If you realized it in time, the finished product will not be bitter.

See how to cook Strawberry jam, in which the berries are not boiled, which means that they better preserve all their beneficial features:

Here are a few more wonderful recipes:

• jam ,

Jam is one of the most popular preparations for the winter. But it's not enough to cook good delicious jam- it still needs to be preserved. Do you know how to properly close the jam? So that the results of your labors do not go to waste, but turn into orderly rows of jars on the shelves of your pantry. If not, then we will tell you about it now.

What is jam

Winter jam can be prepared different ways. Although, strictly speaking, the classic jam should be cooked in the traditional "grandmother's way. Unfortunately, in such a jam there is a minimum of vitamins, since many of them are destroyed under prolonged exposure to high temperatures. That is why, today, housewives prefer to either cook jam in a “quick” way, keeping it on fire for no more than 7-10 minutes, or even less. Or at all, do not cook jam, but simply grind berries and fruits with sugar in fresh. This method allows you to save most of the vitamins and useful substances, but such jam requires mandatory conservation. You can store jam rolled up under tin lids both in the cellar and at normal room temperature, without taking up space in the refrigerator.

How to sterilize jars to close jam

Before pouring jam into jars and using a seamer, these jars must be carefully prepared. First, they need to be washed very well with soda, and not only from the inside, but also from the outside.

Sterilization is the process of treating jam jars with high temperatures to kill all bacteria. You can sterilize jars either with steam or simply by placing them in an oven preheated to 100 - 120 degrees. It is also necessary to sterilize the metal lids with which you will close the jars. But with lids it’s easier - they just need to boil for 5-10 minutes in a pan covered with a lid.

How to close the jam

Before pouring jam into jars, make sure they are completely dry on the inside. If you lay out the jam in wet jars, it may turn sour and then all your work will be in vain.

Jam for seaming is recommended to be poured into hot jars, then the jars are rolled up using a special seaming machine, turned upside down and covered with a clean terry towel. In this form, the jam cools down, after which it is sent to a shelf for storage.

Sometimes, for an additional guarantee, it is recommended to pasteurize the jam before sealing the jars. In this case, after you pour the hot jam into the jars, they must be covered with sterilized lids, placed in a pot of hot water and boiled for an additional 10 minutes. Only after that, the jars are finally corked and turned upside down to make sure the packaging is tight. Banks, as in the previous case, are covered with a warm towel and left to cool in this form for 10-12 hours. And then they put it away for storage.

How to close traditional jam

Jam cooked in the traditional way does not require capping under tin lids. Due to the high sugar content, it is perfectly stored even without it, even at normal room temperature. However, if you want, of course, you can cork such a jam, but it will only be a waste of time and effort. In order to preserve the traditional classic jam, it is enough to know how to close it correctly.

As in the previous case, jars for storing jam must be thoroughly washed, sterilized and, no less thoroughly, dried. Remember that jam can only be poured into clean and completely dry jars.

Before laying the jam in jars, unlike the previous case, it must be cooled. You can cool the jam in the same basin in which it was cooked, you just need to cover it with gauze or clean white paper on top. But you don’t need to use a lid, the jam should freely evaporate moisture.

After the jam has cooled, it is laid out in clean jars, making sure that the berries and syrup are evenly distributed. Then, a circle cut out of paper and soaked in alcohol or vodka is placed on the neck of the jar, covered with another sheet of paper on top and tightly tied with twine soaked in hot water. If you don't have twine, you can use cut-out strips. They also need to be moistened with hot water and tightly tied around the neck of the jar. When dry, the twine or fabric will sit down and wrap around the jar even more tightly.

Instead of plain paper, parchment or plastic covers can be used.

If you prefer parchment, then you need to close the jam in the following way: put one piece of parchment on the neck of the jar, place a circle cut out of cardboard on top, close with a second piece of parchment and tie everything tightly with twine.

Jam for the winter period can be prepared in a variety of ways. All hostesses prefer classic jam and cook the traditional "grandmother's method. But it is a pity that after the jam is cooked, a meager amount of useful substances remains in it, because almost all of them are destroyed under the long action of the highest temperature. Therefore, many housewives like to either cook jam using the “quick” method, keeping it on the flame for less than 7-10 minutes, or maybe less. Or, in fact, not at all, do not make jam, but simply grind berries and fruits through a grater and mix with granulated sugar.

Usually, this method allows you to save most of the vitamins and essential nutrients, but in turn, such jam must undergo mandatory conservation. At the same time, jam, which was rolled up with the help of iron lids, can be stored anywhere, be it a cellar or at room temperature. For homemade jam, metal screw lids for canning Twist-Off avestar.ru are perfect - you can buy in bulk at a bargain price if large volumes of production are expected.

HOW TO STERILIZE JARS CORRECTLY TO CLOSE JAM

Before you place the jam in the jars and use the seamer, all the jars must be carefully prepared. At first, they must be thoroughly cleaned with soda, in addition, not only from the inside, but also from the outside.
Sterilization is the process of treating jam jars at elevated temperatures to kill all bacteria. You can sterilize the jars either by means of steam or by placing them in an oven heated to 100 - 120 degrees. And it will also be necessary to sterilize the iron lids with which you will close the jars. Although it is easier with lids - they need to be no more than boiled for 5-10 minutes in a saucepan covered with a lid.

HOW TO CORRECTLY CLOSE THE JAM

Before pouring jam into jars, make sure that they are completely dry from the inside. If you pour jam into wet jars, then it may well be that it will turn sour. It will be a pity then it will turn out that all your work will be useless.

The jam that you have to roll up is recommended to be distributed among the jars while it is still hot. Then the jars are rolled up using a special seaming machine, turned upside down and covered with some clean terry towel or bedspread. In this form, it should cool, and then transferred to a shelf for storage.
Sometimes, for an even greater guarantee, it is advised that the jam be pasteurized before corking the jars. When you pour the hot jam into the jars, they must be closed with sterilized lids, placed in a saucepan with warm water and, in addition, boiled for 10 minutes. Only then the jars of course they cork and shift upside down to make sure the packing is tight. Banks, as in the previous case, are covered with a warm, clean towel and left.

What lids are better to close the jam

During conservation, almost all housewives face a dilemma: “Still, which lids are better to use for the best storage of jam?”
The opinions of the hostesses in this matter are strikingly different from each other. Many recommends rolling banks iron lids, and someone who might think suggests covering them in the old fashioned way with paper or cellophane and tying them with threads.
If you ask yourself the question “Is it possible to cover jam with plastic lids?” the answer is yes, of course. Every year more and more housewives prefer plastic lids, as they are easier to use and conservation with them is even easier and more enjoyable.

So that the blanks for the winter do not deteriorate and do not lose their original appearance and smell at all, it is enough to follow a couple of usual rules:

1) the jam should contain a lot of granulated sugar. It does not allow jam to ferment and can preserve the freshness of the workpiece;
2) in order for the jam to remain fresh for a long time, it will be necessary to cook it longer;

3) on the surface of the jam (under the lid) you should put a circle from some piece of paper, or parchment, which has been soaked in alcohol or vodka. If, nevertheless, the top is covered with mold, then a sort of protective film, one might say, will draw it into itself. If necessary, such a filter can be replaced at any time.
Recently, screw caps or they are also called twist-offs have been especially popular.

Rules for using twist-off screw caps

1. You can not tighten more than the thread allows. If you overtighten it, you can break the cover.
2. It is necessary to install the cover so that it gets into the thread, and screw it along these rails. If there are gaps, then in the future there is a possibility of mold.
3. Cover the blanks with a lid immediately after filling the jars. The jars must not be overfilled. The jars must be filled with contents although they should not reach 1 cm to the edge.

How to store jars with screw caps

Most of the blanks that are closed with screw caps should be stored in a warm (though not hot), dry and ventilated room. Avoid sudden changes in temperature to prevent condensation.

But, if you close the jam with a small amount of granulated sugar, they should be stored at the lowest temperatures (in the refrigerator or in the basement).
Before storing jars with hot contents, you need to cool the contents to room temperature, and then check that nothing leaks. To do this, turn the jar upside down and make sure that the rim of the lid is not wet. You can store blanks with screw caps for 6 months.

In contact with

classmates

During preservation, many housewives have a question: “What kind of lids should I use for better storage of jam?”

Opinions on this matter differ greatly. Someone recommends rolling up cans with metal lids, and someone does, just like in the old days, cover them with paper or cellophane and tie them with threads.

But to the question “Is it possible to close the jam with nylon lids?” the answer is unequivocal - you can. Every year more and more housewives prefer plastic products for spinning, as they are much easier to use and the process of conservation with them becomes much easier and more pleasant.

And in order for the blanks for the winter not to deteriorate and not lose their original appearance and smell, you need to follow a few simple rules:

• Firstly, the jam must contain the required amount of sugar. It will prevent fermentation and help preserve the freshness of the workpiece;
• secondly, in order to keep the freshness of the jam as long as possible, it needs to be boiled longer;
• thirdly, under the lid (on the surface of the jam), you can place a circle of clean paper soaked in alcohol or vodka. If mold still appears on the surface, then such protection will completely absorb it. If necessary, such a filter can be changed at any time.

For greater reliability, you can also use plastic products for hot storage. They differ from ordinary ones in that they are preheated in hot water, and only after that they are put on a jar. These lids are much tighter.